Determination device, determination method, and computer program product

ABSTRACT

A determination device according to an embodiment includes one or more processors. The processors identify a worker position. The processors identify a job area which includes the worker position. The processors select, from among a plurality of determiners meant for determining job details of persons from movement information indicating movements of persons, at least one determiner associated with the job area. The processors generate worker movement information indicating movements of a worker. The processors use the at least one selected determiner and determine a job type indicating job details of the worker based on the worker movement information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2018-023266, filed on Feb. 13, 2018; theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate generally to a determination device,a determination method, a computer program product.

BACKGROUND

A recognition system is known that recognizes the movements of a workerin a factory. In that recognition system, movement information of aworker is obtained from a sensor worn by the worker, and a determiner(for example, dictionary data) is used to recognize the movements of theworker from the obtained movement information. Using such a recognitionsystem, the administrator becomes able to confirm whether the worker isperforming the jobs in a correct way.

In the factory, the worker performs various jobs. Hence, it is difficultfor the recognition system to determine all movements using a singlecommon determiner. On the other hand, if a recognition system performsthe recognition operation by concurrently using multiple determiners,then the efficiency becomes poorer and the cost becomes higher.

Moreover, in a factory, productivity improvement is carried out asappropriate. Hence, the recognition system constantly needs to collectmovement information of the workers, to generate teacher data andperform learning operations, and to properly update the determiners.However, constantly updating a plurality of determiners leads to anextremely poor efficiency and a high cost.

It is an object of the present invention to efficiently determine thejob type indicating the job details of a worker.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a recognition system;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a plurality ofpartial areas;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a plurality ofpartial areas;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a determinationdevice according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a flow of operations performed bythe determination device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the determinationdevice according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a flow of operations performed bythe determination device according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a first exemplary image displayed bythe determination device according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a second exemplary image displayed bythe determination device according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the determinationdevice according to a third embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of integration of partialareas;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the determinationdevice according to a fourth embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the operations performed by thedetermination device according to the fourth embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary image displayed by thedetermination device according to the fourth embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of thedetermination device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A determination device according to an embodiment includes one or moreprocessors. The processors identify a worker position. The processorsidentify a job area which includes the worker position. The processorsselect, from among a plurality of determiners meant for determining jobdetails of persons from movement information indicating movements ofpersons, at least one determiner associated with the job area. Theprocessors generate worker movement information indicating movements ofa worker. The processors use the at least one selected determiner anddetermine a job type indicating job details of the worker based on theworker movement information.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below withreference to the accompanying drawings.

First embodiment

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a recognition system 10 according to afirst embodiment.

The recognition system 10 determines the job details of the workers in,for example, a manufacturing line 20 of a factory. The recognitionsystem 10 includes at least a single position sensor 22, at least asingle movement sensor 24, and a determination device 30.

Each position sensor 22 detects position information indicatingpositions of a worker. For example, the position sensor 22 detects theworker positions within a target range 36, which is used in determiningthe job details of the worker in the recognition system 10. In the caseof determining the job details of a worker in a factory, for example,the target range 36 represents a room in the factory building orrepresents the factory premises.

The position sensor 22 can be any type of device as long as it iscapable of detecting the worker positions. For example, the positionsensor 22 can be a camera that detects the position information of theworker from taken images in which the worker is captured.

Alternatively, for example, the position sensor 22 can be a wirelessreceiving terminal (for example, a Bluetooth (registered trademark)terminal) that is worn by the worker. In that case, the wirelessreceiving terminal receives a plurality of beacons transmitted from eachof a plurality of wireless sending terminals installed at a plurality ofpositions. The wireless receiving terminal estimates the distance toeach wireless sending terminal according to the reception strength ofeach beacon. Then, based on the estimated distances and the positions ofthe wireless sending terminals, the wireless receiving terminalcalculates the worker positions.

When the worker is out of doors, the receiving terminal can receive aplurality of signals transmitted from a plurality of global positioningsystem (GPS) satellites, and can calculate the positions of the workerfrom the received signals. Meanwhile, for example, the position sensor22 can be a device for calculating the movement distance of the workeraccording to an acceleration sensor worn by the worker.

Each movement sensor 24 detects movement information indicating themovements of a worker. Herein, the movement sensor 24 can detect theoverall movement of the body of the worker. Alternatively, the movementsensor 24 can detect individual movements of various body parts, such asarms, hands, fingers, legs, head, joints, and eyes, of the worker. Stillalternatively, the movement sensor 24 can be an acceleration sensor or agyro sensor attached to the waist of the worker, and can detect whetherthe worker is still or walking. Still alternatively, the movement sensor24 can be an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor attached to an arm, aleg, or the head of the worker, and can detect the individual movementsof the arm, the leg, or the head. Still alternatively, the movementsensor 24 can be a camera for capturing the worker and an informationprocessing device for analyzing the movements of the worker based on thetaken images.

The determination device 30 has the hardware configuration identical to,for example, a general-purpose computer, and executes predeterminedapplication programs. The determination device 30 receives positioninformation from each position sensor 22. Moreover, the determinationdevice 30 receives movement information from each movement sensor 24.The determination device 30 receives the position information and themovement information at regular intervals (of five seconds, forexample). Then, based on the position information and the movementinformation, the determination device 30 determines the job typeindicating the job details of the worker.

Meanwhile, when there is a plurality of workers, the determinationdevice 30 receives the position and the movement information for eachworker. Then, the determination device 30 determines the job typeindicating the job details of each worker.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a plurality ofpartial areas 38 set in the target range 36. FIG. 3 is a diagramillustrating a second example of a plurality of partial areas 38 set inthe target range 36.

In the determination device 30, information indicating the partial areas38 is registered. Each partial area 38 is such a partial area in thetarget range 36 in which the worker is predicted to perform the samejob. Herein, the partial areas 38 are decided by the administrator, forexample.

In a factory, the manufacturing line 20 including manufacturing devicesand a carrier device is set up in the target range 36. Moreover, in afactory, according to the positions of the manufacturing devices and theposition of the carrier device in the manufacturing line 20, the detailsof the jobs to be performed by the worker are fixed. Thus, based on thepositions of the manufacturing devices and the position of the carrierdevice in the manufacturing line 20, the administrator can set, inadvance, the partial areas 38 in which the same jobs are predicted to beperformed.

Meanwhile, the partial areas 38 are adjusted also depending on thedesired job types to be determined by the recognition system 10. Forexample, when the worker has to move around a lot and when the generalmovements of the worker are to be determined, the partial areas 38 areset to be relatively large areas as illustrated in FIG. 2. On the otherhand, when there are many jobs at hand and, for example, when themovements of the worker at each manufacturing device are to bedetermined, the partial areas 38 are set in a relatively small rangenear the manufacturing devices as illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the determinationdevice 30 according to the first embodiment. The determination device 30includes an area receiving unit 40, an area information storing unit 42,a position identifying unit 44, an area identifying unit 46, adeterminer storing unit 48, a selecting unit 50, a movement informationgenerating unit 52, and a determining unit 54.

In response to an instruction from the administrator, the area receivingunit 40 receives information indicating a plurality of partial areas 38.For example, the area receiving unit 40 displays an image indicating thetarget range 36 in a display device, and receives specification of aplurality of partial areas 38 from the administrator. The areainformation storing unit 42 stores the information indicating aplurality of partial areas 38 as received by the area receiving unit 40.

The position identifying unit 44 receives the position information fromeach position sensor 22. Then, based on the received positioninformation, the position identifying unit 44 identifies the workerpositions in the target range 36. Subsequently, the position identifyingunit 44 sends the identified worker positions to the area identifyingunit 46.

The area identifying unit 46 refers to the information stored in thearea information storing unit 42 and identifies, as the job area, onepartial area 38 that, from among a plurality of partial areas 38,includes the worker positions identified by the position identifyingunit 44. Then, the area identifying unit 46 sends the informationindicating the identified job area to the selecting unit 50.

The determiner storing unit 48 stores a plurality of determiners. Eachdeterminer represents information to be used in determining the jobdetails of a person from movement information that represents themovements of the person and that has a predetermined format. Thedeterminers enable determination of, for example, mutually different jobtypes.

For example, a determiner represents a pattern recognition model such asa support vector machine. In that case, the determiner is trained inadvance to be able to obtain a predetermined determination result withrespect to movement information representing teacher data. If adeterminer represents information and a model to be used in determiningthe job type from the movement information, then the determiner is notlimited to be a support vector machine and can alternatively be a randomforest, a multilayer perceptron, or a neural network.

Meanwhile, each of a plurality of partial areas 38 is associated with atleast a single determiner. Thus, with respect to a single partial area38, either a single determiner can be associated, or a plurality ofdeterminers can be associated.

For example, in the first embodiment, as given below in Table 1, eachpartial area 38 is associated with at least one job type. Moreover, eachjob type has a single determiner associated therewith.

TABLE 1 Partial area Type Determiner A Component First determiner (forcomponent replenishment replenishment) B Device Second determiner (fordevice operations operations) Notes Third determiner (for Notes) CCarriage Fourth determiner (for carriage movement movement) PC inputFifth determiner (for PC input)

For example, in Table 1, a partial area 38-A has a job type called“component replenishment” associated thereto; a partial area 38-B hasjob types called “device operations” and “notes” associated thereto; anda partial area 38-C has job types called “carriage movement” and “PCinput” associated thereto. Moreover, in Table 1, the jot type “componentreplenishment” has a first determiner associated thereto; the job type“device operations” has a second determiner associated thereto; the jobtype “notes” has a third determiner associated thereto; the job type“carriage movement” has a fourth determiner associated thereto; and thejob type “PC input” has a fifth determiner associated thereto.

Meanwhile, the determiner storing unit 48 need not be installed in thedetermination device 30, and can be installed in some other server. Inthat case, the determination device 30 accesses the server via anetwork, and obtains a plurality of determiners.

The selecting unit 50 selects at least a single determiner associatedwith the identified job area from among a plurality of determinersstored in the determiner storing unit 48. For example, in the examplegiven in Table 1, when the partial area 38-A is identified as the jobarea, the selecting unit 50 selects the first determiner. When thepartial area 38-B is identified as the job area, the selecting unit 50selects the second and third determiners. When the partial area 38-C isidentified as the job area, the selecting unit 50 selects the fourth andfifth determiners. Then, the selecting unit 50 sends informationindicating the selected determiners to the determining unit 54.

The movement information generating unit 52 receives, from each movementsensor 24, movement information indicating the movements of the worker.Then, based on the received movement information, the movementinformation generating unit 52 generates worker movement informationindicating the movements of the worker. For example, the movementinformation generating unit 52 combines a plurality of sets of movementinformation obtained from a plurality of movement sensors 24, andgenerates worker movement information having a predetermined format.Then, the movement information generating unit 52 sends the generatedworker movement information to the determining unit 54.

The determining unit 54 uses at least a single determiner selected bythe selecting unit 50 and, based on the worker movement informationgenerated by the movement information generating unit 52, determines thejob type indicating the job details of the worker.

For example, the determining unit 54 determines whether the worker isdoing the component replenishment job, or the device operation job, orthe job of taking notes, or the carriage moving job, or the PC inputjob. Moreover, the determining unit 54 can generate the degree ofreliability of each job type. In that case, the determining unit 54outputs sets including candidate types, which represent the candidatesfor job type, and the degrees of reliability. Meanwhile, when the jobtype is determined using a plurality of determiners, the determiningunit 54 outputs the candidate types having the highest degree ofreliability as the job types.

Herein, the determination device 30 can determine the job type atregular intervals (of one minute, for example). Moreover, thedetermination device 30 can receive the position information and themovement information regarding a plurality of workers. In that case, thedetermination device 30 determines the job type for each worker.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a flow of operations performed bythe determination device 30 according to the first embodiment. Thedetermination device 30 according to the first embodiment performsoperations according to the flow illustrated in FIG. 5.

Firstly, at step S11, the determination device 30 receives positioninformation from the position sensor 22, and identifies the workerpositions based on the received position information. Then, at step S12,the determination device 30 receives, from the movement sensor 24,movement information indicating the movements of the worker; andgenerates worker movement information based on the received movementinformation.

Subsequently, at step S13, the determination device 30 identifies, asthe job area, a single partial area 38 that, from among a plurality ofpartial areas 38, includes the identified worker positions. Then, atstep S14, the determination device 30 selects at least a singledeterminer associated with the identified job area from among aplurality of determiners stored in the determiner storing unit 48.Subsequently, at step S15, the determination device 30 uses the selecteddeterminer and, based on the generated worker movement information,determines the job type indicting the job details of the worker.

In this way, the determination device 30 according to the firstembodiment selects the appropriate determiners according to the workerpositions, and determines the job type indicating the job details of theworker using the selected proper determiners. As a result, thedetermination device 30 can determine the job type in an efficient andaccurate manner.

Second Embodiment

Given below is the explanation of the determination device 30 accordingto a second embodiment. The determination device 30 according to thesecond embodiment is implemented in the recognition system 10 identicalto the recognition system 10 according to the first embodiment. The sameis the case in a third embodiment and beyond. Moreover, thedetermination device 30 according to the second embodiment has asubstantially identical configuration and functions as the firstembodiment. Hence, the same constituent elements are referred to by thesame reference numerals, and the detailed explanation is given onlyabout the differences from the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the determinationdevice 30 according to the second embodiment. The determination device30 according to the second embodiment further includes a result storingunit 56 and a display control unit 58.

The result storing unit 56 stores the job area and the job type, whichare identified at regular intervals (of one minute, for example), in acorresponding manner to the movement timing. The display control unit 58displays the job type, which is determined by the determining unit 54,in the display device. The display control unit 58 displays the currentjob type in the display device. Moreover, the display control unit 58can read, from the result storing unit 56, the job type at a past timingspecified by the administrator, and can display the read job type in thedisplay device.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a flow of operations performed bythe determination device 30 according to the second embodiment. Thedetermination device 30 according to the second embodiment performsoperations according to the flow illustrated in FIG. 7.

The determination device 30 according to the second embodiment performsthe operations from S11 to step S15 in an identical manner to theoperations illustrated in the flowchart in FIG. 5. After the operationat step S15, the determination device 30 displays, at step S16, thedetermined job type in the display device.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a first exemplary image displayed bythe determination device 30 according to the second embodiment. Thedisplay control unit 58 displays a target range image 60 indicating thetarget range 36 in the display device. For example, the target rangeimage 60 includes manufacturing device images 64 at the positions ofinstallation of the manufacturing devices. Moreover, for example, thetarget range image 60 includes a carrier device image 66 at the positionof installation of the carrier device.

The display control unit 58 displays a worker mark 62, which indicatesthe worker position, at the corresponding position in the target rangeimage 60. As a result, the display control unit 58 enables theadministrator to easily confirm the worker position.

Moreover, the display control unit 58 displays partial area images 70,which indicate the range of the partial areas 38, at the correspondingpositions in the target range image 60. As a result, the display controlunit 58 enables the administrator to easily confirm the range of thepartial areas 38.

Furthermore, the display control unit 58 displays a determination resultimage 72 indicating the determined job type. For example, the displaycontrol unit 58 displays the determination result image 72 at theposition corresponding to the worker in the target range image 60. Inthe example illustrated in FIG. 8, the display control unit 58 displays,as the determination result image 72 in the display device, a balloonimage that balloons out from the worker mark 62. As a result, thedisplay control unit 58 enables the administrator to easily confirm thejob details of the worker.

Meanwhile, when a plurality of candidate types is determined, thedisplay control unit 58 can display a candidate image 74, in which thecandidate types are arranged in descending order of the degree ofreliability, in the display device. As a result, the display controlunit 58 enables the administrator to easily confirm the determinationdetails of the determination device 30.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a second exemplary image displayed bythe determination device 30 according to the second embodiment. Thedisplay control unit 58 displays the target range image 60, the workermark 62, the determination result image 72, and a plurality of partialarea images 70 in the display device.

In this case, the display control unit 58 calculates, for each partialarea 38, the total job time for which the worker did the job within apredetermined job period (for example, one day). Then, the displaycontrol unit 58 displays, in the display device, the partial area images70 further indicating the calculated total job time.

For example, the display control unit 58 displays the partial areaimages 70 that undergo changes in color or concentration according tothe duration of the total job time. For example, the longer the totaljob time in a particular partial area 38, the more concentrated is thecolor or the hatching of the corresponding partial area image 70displayed by the display control unit 58.

Meanwhile, the display control unit 58 can calculate the mean positionof the worker in any one partial area 38, and can display the workermark 62 at the calculated mean position. Moreover, the display controlunit 58 can display the determination result image 72 indicating the jobtype in any one partial area 38.

As a result, the display control unit 58 enables the administrator toconfirm the result of statistical processing of the determinationresult. In this way, the determination device 30 according to the secondembodiment can analyze the determination result from a plurality ofperspectives, and then provide the determination result to theadministrator.

Third Embodiment

Given below is the explanation of the determination device 30 accordingto a third embodiment. The determination device 30 according to thethird embodiment has a substantially identical configuration andfunctions as the second embodiment. Hence, the same constituent elementsare referred to by the same reference numerals, and the detailedexplanation is given only about the differences from the secondembodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the determinationdevice 30 according to the third embodiment. The determination device 30according to the third embodiment further includes an areareconstructing unit 80.

The area reconstructing unit 80 maintains statistics of the job types intwo neighboring partial area 38 within a predetermined job period (forexample, one day or one week). Moreover, the area reconstructing unit 80determines whether or not a ratio of coincidence between the job typesin the two neighboring partial areas 38 is equal to or greater than apredetermined value within the predetermined job period. If the ratio ofcoincidence between the job types in the two neighboring partial areas38 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value within thepredetermined job period, then the area reconstructing unit 80reconstructs a plurality of partial areas 38, which is stored in thearea information storing unit 42, in such a way that the concerned twopartial areas 38 are integrated into a single partial area 38. Moreover,after a plurality of partial areas 38 is reconstructed, the areareconstructing unit 80 also updates the corresponding relationshipbetween the partial areas 38 and the determiners.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of integration of thepartial areas 38. For example, as illustrated in the upper portion inFIG. 11, during the initial setting, assume that five partial areas 38,namely, A-1, A-2, A-3, B-1, and B-2 are set in the target range 36. Fora predetermined job period since the initial setting, as a result ofanalyzing the job details of the worker, the job types in threeneighboring partial areas 38 identified as A-1, A-2, and A-3 have theratio of coincidence to be equal to or greater than a predeterminedvalue. Moreover, the job types in two neighboring partial areas 38identified as B-1 and B-2 have the ratio of coincidence to be equal toor greater than the predetermined value.

In that case, as illustrated in the lower portion in FIG. 11, the areareconstructing unit 80 integrates the partial areas 38 identified asA-1, A-2, and A-3, and generates a single partial area 38(A). Moreover,the area reconstructing unit 80 integrates the partial areas identifiedas B-1 and B-2, and generates a single partial area 38(B). Thus, byintegrating a plurality of approximated partial areas 38, thedetermination device 30 can identify the job areas in an efficientmanner.

Meanwhile, when a plurality of partial area images 70 representing aplurality of partial areas 38 is to be displayed in the display device,the display control unit 58 can integrate the partial areas 38 and thendisplay them. More particularly, within a predetermined job period, whentwo neighboring partial areas 38 have the ratio of coincidence to beequal to or greater than a predetermined value, the display control unit58 integrates the two partial areas 38 into a single partial area 38 anddisplays it. Thus, by integrating a plurality of approximated partialareas 38, the determination device 30 enables the administrator toconfirm the job area in an easy-to-understand manner.

Fourth Embodiment

Given below is the explanation of the determination device 30 accordingto a fourth embodiment. The determination device 30 according to thefourth embodiment has a substantially identical configuration andfunctions as the second embodiment. Hence, the same constituent elementsare referred to by the same reference numerals, and the detailedexplanation is given only about the differences from the secondembodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the determinationdevice 30 according to the fourth embodiment. The determination device30 according to the fourth embodiment further includes a movementstoring unit 82, an input receiving unit 84, and a learning unit 86.

The movement storing unit 82 stores the worker movement information,which is generated by the movement information generating unit 52, in acorresponding manner to the job type, which is determined by thedetermining unit 54. Moreover, the movement storing unit 82 stores thejob area, which is identified by the area identifying unit 46, in acorresponding manner to the job type.

Meanwhile, in case the presented job type is not correct, then the inputreceiving unit 84 receives the correct job type from the administrator.When the correct job type is received, the display control unit 58displays the correct job type in the display device. Moreover, when thecorrect job type is received, the incorrect job type stored in theresult storing unit 56 is replaced with the correct job type.

When the correct job type is received from the administrator, thelearning unit 86 trains a plurality of determiners, which is stored inthe determiner storing unit 48, based on the worker movement informationstored in the movement storing unit 82 and based on the correct jobtype. In that case, the learning unit 86 need not train all determinersstored in the determiner storing unit 48, but can train the determinersassociated with the identified job area. As a result, the learning unit86 becomes able to train the determiners that made incorrectdetermination.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the operations performed by thedetermination device 30 according to the fourth embodiment. Thus, thedetermination device 30 according to the fourth embodiment performsoperations according to the flow illustrated in FIG. 13.

The determination device 30 according to the fourth embodiment performsoperations from S11 to step S13 in an identical manner to the operationsperformed according to the second embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 7.After the operation at step S13, the determination device 30 stores, atstep S21, the generated worker movement information and the identifiedjob area. After the operation at step S21, the determination device 30performs operations from S14 to step S16 in an identical manner to theoperations performed according to the second embodiment as illustratedin FIG. 7.

After the operation at step S16, the determination device 30 determines,at step S22, whether or not the correct job type is received from theadministrator. If the correct job type is not received from theadministrator, that is, if the determination result of the determinationoperation is correct (No at step S22), then the determination device 30ends the flow of operations.

When the correct job type is received from the administrator, that is,when the determination result of the determination operation is notcorrect (Yes at step S22), the system control proceeds to step S23.Then, at step S23, the determination device 30 displays the correct jobtype in the display device, and replaces the incorrect job type with thecorrect job type in the result storing unit 56. Subsequently, at stepS24, based on the worker movement information stored in the movementstoring unit 82 and based on the correct job type, the determinationdevice 30 trains the determiners associated with the identified jobarea. Then, at step S25, the determination device 30 updates thedeterminers based on the training result. After the operation at stepS25, the determination device 30 ends the flow of operations.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary image displayed by thedetermination device 30 according to the fourth embodiment. The displaycontrol unit 58 according to the fourth embodiment displays the targetrange image 60, the worker mark 62, and a plurality of partial areaimages 70 in the display device.

Moreover, the display control unit 58 displays, in the display device, atype image 90 that includes the determined job type and at least onecandidate type representing a candidate for the job type. If the jobtype included in the type image 90 is not correct, then theadministrator selects one of the candidate types as the correct jobtype.

When the correct job type is selected, the display control unit 58displays the correct job type in the display device. Moreover, theresult storing unit 56 stores therein the correct job type in place ofthe incorrect job type. Furthermore, the learning unit 86 trains thedeterminers based on the correct job type. In this way, in thedetermination device 30 according to the fourth embodiment, thedetermination result can be properly corrected and the learning of thedeterminers can be properly carried out.

Hardware Configuration

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of thedetermination device 30. As an example, the determination device 30 canhave the hardware configuration of a commonly-used computer (informationprocessing device). The determination device 30 can be run by executingpredetermined computer programs.

The determination device 30 includes a central processing unit (CPU)202, a read only memory (ROM) 204, a random access memory (RAM) 206, anoperating unit 208, a display unit 210, a communication device 212, anda memory device 214. Those constituent elements are connected to eachother by a bus.

The CPU 202 is a processor for performing information processing; loadscomputer programs from the memory device 214 into the RAM 206 andexecutes them; performs input-output by controlling the constituentelements; and processes data. The CPU 202 can be configured using one ormore processors. Moreover, as long as computer programs can be executed,the determination device 30 need not include the CPU 202 and can includesome other processor. The ROM 204 stores a start program that reads aboot program from the memory device 214 into the RAM 206. The RAM 206functions as the work area for the CPU 202 and stores data.

The operating unit 208 is an input device such as a mouse or a keyboardthat receives, as an instruction signal, information input by the userand outputs the instruction signal to the CPU 202. The display unit 210is a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD). The displayunit 210 displays a variety of information based on display signalsreceived from the CPU 202. The communication device 212 communicatesinformation with external devices via a network. The memory device 214is, for example, a hard disk drive or a flash memory. The memory device214 stores the computer program executed by the determination device 30,and stores an operating system.

The computer program executed by the determination device 30 accordingto the embodiments is recorded as an installable file or an executablefile in a computer-readable recording medium such as a compact disc readonly memory (CD-ROM), a flexible disk (FD), a compact disc recordable(CD-R), or a digital versatile disc (DVD). Alternatively, the computerprogram executed by the determination device 30 according to theembodiments can be stored in a downloadable manner in a network such asthe Internet. Still alternatively, the computer program executed by thedetermination device 30 according to the embodiments can be distributedvia a network such as the Internet. Still alternatively, the computerprogram executed by the determination device 30 according to theembodiments can be stored in advance in the ROM 204.

The computer program that makes an information processing devicefunction as the determination device 30 contains an area receptionmodule, a position identification module, an area identification module,a selection module, a movement information generation module, and adetermination module. In the determination device 30, the processor (theCPU 202) reads the computer program from the memory medium (the memorydevice 214) and executes it so that the modules get loaded in a mainmemory device (the RAM 206), and the processor (the CPU 202) functionsas the area receiving unit 40, the position identifying unit 44, thearea identifying unit 46, the selecting unit 50, the movementinformation generating unit 52, and the determining unit 54. Meanwhile,some or all of the constituent elements can alternatively be implementedusing hardware other than a processor. The memory device 214 functionsas the area information storing unit 42 and the determiner storing unit48. Alternatively, the area information storing unit 42 and thedeterminer storing unit 48 can be implemented using an external serveroutside the determination device 30. In that case, the determinationdevice 30 accesses the area information storing unit 42 and thedeterminer storing unit 48 via the communication device 212.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments havebeen presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit thescope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described hereinmay be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, variousomissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodimentsdescribed herein may be made without departing from the spirit of theinventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intendedto cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope andspirit of the inventions.

What is claimed is:
 1. A determination device comprising one or moreprocessors configured to: identify a worker position; identify a jobarea which includes the worker position; from among a plurality ofdeterminers meant for determining job details of persons from movementinformation indicating movements of persons, select at least onedeterminer associated with the job area; generate worker movementinformation indicating movements of a worker; and use the at least oneselected determiner and determine a job type indicating job details ofthe worker based on the worker movement information.
 2. Thedetermination device according to claim 1, wherein in identifying of thejob area, the processors identify, as the job area, a single partialarea which, from among a plurality of partial areas set in advance,includes the worker position.
 3. The determination device according toclaim 1, wherein in determining of the job type, the processorscalculate a plurality of candidate types representing candidates for jobtype of the worker, calculate a degree of reliability of each of theplurality of candidate types, and output a candidate type having ahighest degree of reliability as the job type.
 4. The determinationdevice according to claim 1, wherein, at regular intervals, theprocessors identify the worker position, identify the job area, selectthe at least one determiner, generate the worker movement information,and determine the job type.
 5. The determination device according toclaim 2, further comprising a result storing unit that stores the jobtype determined at regular intervals and the job area identified at theregular intervals in a corresponding manner to timing of movement of theworker.
 6. The determination device according to claim 1, wherein theprocessors are further configured to: display, in a display device, atarget range image indicating a target range for determining job detailsof the worker, a worker mark indicating the worker position in thetarget range, and a determination result image indicating the determinedjob type.
 7. The determination device according to claim 3, wherein theprocessors are further configured to: display, in a display device, acandidate image in which the plurality of candidates is arranged indescending order of the degree of reliability.
 8. The determinationdevice according to claim 5, wherein the processors are furtherconfigured to: display, in a display device, a target range imageindicating a target range for determining job details of the worker anda plurality of partial area images indicating the plurality of partialareas in the target range, wherein for each of the plurality of partialareas, the processors calculate a job time for which the workerperformed job within a predetermined job period, and display theplurality of partial area images further indicating the calculated jobtime.
 9. The determination device according to claim 5, wherein theprocessors are further configured to: display, in a display deice, atarget range image indicating a target range for determining job detailsof the worker and a plurality of partial area images indicating theplurality of partial areas in the target range, wherein when a ratio ofcoincidence of the job type in two neighboring partial areas is equal toor greater than a predetermined value within a predetermined job period,the the processors display a single partial area formed by integratingthe two neighboring partial areas.
 10. The determination deviceaccording to claim 2, wherein the processors are further configured to:when a ratio of coincidence of the job type in two neighboring partialareas is equal to or greater than a predetermined value within apredetermined job period, reconstruct the plurality of partial areas insuch a way that the two neighboring partial areas are integrated into asingle partial area.
 11. The determination device according to claim 1,further comprising: a movement storing unit that stores the generatedworker movement information in association with the determined job type,wherein the processors are further configured to: train the plurality ofdeterminers based on the worker movement information and the job areastored in the movement storing unit.
 12. The determination deviceaccording to claim 11, wherein the movement storing unit further storesthe identified job area in association with the job type, and intraining, the processors train at least one determiner associated withthe job area.
 13. The determination device according to claim 12,wherein the processors are further configured to: present, to a user,the determined job type and a plurality of candidate types representingcandidates for job type of the worker; and receive a selection of onecandidate type from among the plurality of candidate types, wherein whenthe selection of a candidate type different from the job type presentedto the user by the input receiving unit is received, in determining ofthe job type, the processors output the selected candidate type as newjob type, and when the selection of a candidate type different from thepresented job type is received, in learning, the processors use the newjob type and train the determiner used in determination.
 14. Adetermination method implemented for determining job type, whichindicates job details of a worker, using an information processingdevice, the determination method comprising: identifying a workerposition; identifying, by the information processing device, a job areawhich includes the worker position; selecting, from among a plurality ofdeterminers meant for determining job details of persons from movementinformation indicating movements of persons, at least one determinerassociated with the job area; generating worker movement informationindicating movements of a worker; and using the at least one selecteddeterminer and determining job type indicating job details of the workerbased on the worker movement information.
 15. A computer program productcomprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing aprogram executed by a computer, the program causing the computer toexecute: identifying a worker position; identifying, by the informationprocessing device, a job area which includes the worker position;selecting, from among a plurality of determiners meant for determiningjob details of persons from movement information indicating movements ofpersons, at least one determiner associated with the job area;generating worker movement information indicating movements of a worker;and using the at least one selected determiner and determining job typeindicating job details of the worker based on the worker movementinformation.